World Heritage Status a Mixed Boon
Lauri Hafvenstein and Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News
February 3, 2003
What do the great Pyramids of the Giza plateau, lions of the Serengeti
plain, treasures of the Vatican, and pristine cayes of the Belize
Barrier Reef Reserve System have in common? These irreplaceable wonders
belong not to any one nation but to all humankind as internationally
protected sites of "outstanding universal value." That, at least, is the
guiding principal behind the World Heritage Convention, a treaty
administered by the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) for the protection of our common natural and cultural
inheritance.
A modern day successor to the 5th-century Greek scholar Herodotus' famed
Seven Wonders of the World, today's official World Heritage List covers
both natural and cultural sites from every corner of the globe.
Inscription on the list brings the backing of 175 nations that have
ratified the treaty to a site's protection.
The Belize Barrier Reef is the longest in the Western Hemisphere and
forms a nearly continuous wall of coral for almost 140 miles (225
kilometers).
Listing Brings Benefits
Making the list is not an easy task. A nation must actively and
aggressively promote a potential site for inclusion under the
convention. Beyond demonstrating a site's "outstanding universal value,"
a country must define the boundaries of the site, enact protective
legislation, and provide a detailed long-term management plan. Only a
handful make the cut each year.
What's the payoff?
The small Central American nation of Belize had seven areas of its
barrier reef-the second largest in the world-listed in1996. The reef
provides habitat for a diverse array of species, including threatened
marine turtles, manatees, and the American saltwater crocodile. The site
is at risk from over-fishing, development, reef damage, pollution, and
global warming.
Conservationists say the international backing of the World Heritage
Convention is a valuable aid in promoting conservation initiatives, a
boon for tourism, and a source of national pride.
"Listing the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System under the World Heritage
Convention has placed this little country with a population of only
250,000 on the map," said Julianne Robinson, a marine biologist with the
Belize Audubon Society and a former manager of several marine protected
areas for Belize's World Heritage Site.
Janet Gibson, a regional coordinator of marine programs for the Wildlife
Conservation Society, said the designation of the Belize Barrier Reef
System as a World Heritage Site "has raised the profile of the marine
reserve network both nationally and internationally."
"The designation helps to preserve the reserves by providing a sort of
'extra layer of protection' from any change in their status," she said.
Conservationists say global recognition has encouraged Belizeans to take
a more active role in protecting their natural heritage. Robinson noted,
for example, that the high-profile status has inspired local fishermen
to join in the international effort to protect marine resources.
World Heritage Status Can Pose Problems as Well
Although the World Heritage Convention can provide a powerful aid in
protection, making the list can be a mixed blessing. With listed status
comes international exposure. Tourists eager to see the wonders of a
site are quickly followed-or in some cases preceded-by developers and
others anxious to exploit the money they spend. Countries like Belize
face the challenge to avoid the types of problems a massive influx of
tourism and recognition has brought to other World Heritage sites.
Although listing requires detailed tourism and site management plans,
often no amount of planning can be enough. Crowds at the Pyramids of the
Giza Plateau led to the eventual closing of the entry shafts. Air
circulation systems had to be retrofitted in an effort to reduce salt
buildups condensing from thousands of human breaths. At Xian, China,
site of the famous Terra-cotta Warriors, a poorly situated new museum to
handle the crowds may in fact have a negative impact on the site. On the
Belizean Barrier Reef, developers are closing in, exploiting World
Heritage status a few miles away to sell swamp land to prospective
customers over the Internet.
Another problem is that only a government can put a site within its
borders on the list. This was demonstrated at Bamiyan in Afghanistan,
where decades of war and recent resistance by the Taliban prevented the
listing and thus protection of the giant carved Buddhas they eventually
destroyed.
With 730 World Heritage sites listed today and more added annually,
however, some question the roster's burgeoning size. "Although there are
still many sites worthy of inclusion and needing protection, when does
the list become so long that it loses the power of its exclusivity?"
said Alonzo Addison, a professor of visual design at the University of
California at Berkeley and a scientific commissioner for the World
Heritage Convention 30th Anniversary events.
Safeguarding Sites of Natural, Cultural Importance
All nations that sign the convention commit financial resources to
protect and promote their own sites and to help-when possible-threatened
sites around the world. Of 730 sites in 125 countries, 33 are currently
included on the formal "World Heritage List of Sites in Danger." The
special status provides imperiled sites access to emergency funding.
Endangered sites face a myriad of threats, from natural disasters,
pollution, and lack of funding to war. The threat of removal from the
list can also serve as a powerful incentive for nations to be diligent
about protecting their sites.
While prestige and recognition bring many benefits, the World Heritage
designation has, in Belize's case, helped in a more immediately tangible
way by bringing in badly needed cash for crucial management and
sustainability programs.
"It has created funding for the various protected areas that comprise
the site," Gibson said. "Several community-based projects through this
mechanism are currently underway in Belize, and are focused on reducing
threats to the World Heritage System."
Such projects seek to tie local communities to conservation efforts by
giving them a financial stake in preservation, such as promoting tourism
infrastructure or diving industries rather than commercial fishing. So
far, such efforts seem to be gaining steam.
"One of the greatest limiting factors in Belize's conservation efforts
has been access to funding and human resources," Robinson said. "It is
the hope of many Belizeans that the designation will allow greater
access to what is needed most."
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/01/0120_030122_belize1.html